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SPhotonix is developing a glass-based archival storage system designed to preserve data for exceptionally long periods. Its “billions of years” language refers to estimates of how slowly information-bearing changes in the glass may decay—not to a complete storage system tested for billions of years. The underlying recording method has been demonstrated in research, but SPhotonix’s largest capacity figures are targets or estimates, and reading the glass currently requires specialized microscopy.
What SPhotonix means by “5D” storage
SPhotonix says its system uses femtosecond laser pulses to write nanoscale structures, called voxels, inside fused silica. The structures change how polarized light passes through the glass, making it possible to encode and later read information.
“5D” describes five properties used to represent data: three spatial coordinates for each voxel, plus the orientation and strength of its birefringence—an optical property that affects polarized light. It does not mean five ordinary physical directions or five separate layers. SPhotonix’s FAQ describes this encoding approach.
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A 2014 Physical Review Letters paper by Jingyu Zhang, Mindaugas Gecevičius, Martynas Beresna, and Peter G. Kazansky reported recording and retrieving a digital document in fused quartz using femtosecond-laser nanostructuring. The authors described thermal stability up to 1000°C and a virtually unlimited lifetime at room temperature for their demonstrated approach. They wrote: “We demonstrate recording and retrieval of the digital document with a nearly unlimited lifetime.” The paper’s abstract describes a research demonstration, not a rating for every commercial system.
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SPhotonix’s FAQ gives a voxel lifetime estimate of about 1020 years at room temperature. It also says that at 190°C, the extrapolated decay time is comparable to the universe’s 13.8-billion-year age. These are company-stated extrapolations about the material’s information-bearing structures; they are not durations measured in a test lasting billions of years.
Long-lived marks in glass are only one part of preserving usable data. The information must remain decodable, and future readers need access to suitable equipment and enough knowledge of the encoding. SPhotonix says it currently uses advanced microscopy, and its sources do not establish that reading equipment or decoding methods will remain available indefinitely.
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Capacity: separate current claims from targets
SPhotonix gives three different capacity figures, with different levels of certainty. Its FAQ says several terabytes per disc are currently achievable, identifies about 20 TB per disc as a future goal, and calls 360 TB an estimate of ultimate capacity. The company homepage also advertises up to 360 TB on a five-inch platter. The 360 TB figure should therefore be treated as a company-advertised upper capacity or projection, not as a verified current shipping configuration.
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| Figure | What SPhotonix says it represents |
|---|---|
| Several TB per disc | Currently achievable, according to the company’s undated FAQ. |
| About 20 TB per disc | A future goal stated in the company’s undated FAQ. |
| Up to 360 TB | The FAQ’s estimate of ultimate capacity; the homepage advertises up to this amount on a five-inch platter. |
The figures above are company statements, not independent, apples-to-apples commercial benchmark results. SPhotonix’s homepage also describes online archival orders for up to 1 TB; that service offer is distinct from the higher per-disc capacity claims. Check the company’s current homepage for ordering terms.
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How reading and access work today
This is not plug-and-play storage that a user can read through an ordinary USB connection. SPhotonix says it uses advanced microscopy and currently provides a lab-based read service. Its description of the system says the write and read equipment is semi-automated and lab-based, with work continuing on speed, density, and integration. Consumer reading devices are described as future products, not a current capability. The FAQ explains the current reading approach.
The company says it offers data writing and reading for archival customers, including options for secure delivery and storage at a Swiss Vault facility. It also advertises technology licensing and invites partners. These are company-reported offerings; availability and terms can change, so confirm them with SPhotonix before relying on a particular service.
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Where 5D glass fits—and where it does not
SPhotonix is positioning the technology for long-term archival storage: data kept for preservation rather than frequent, fast access. The company says it has reached TRL5 and describes development moving from lab-based systems toward industry deployment. That status is a company report, not evidence that the glass is already a general-purpose replacement for hard drives, flash, tape, or conventional optical discs.
For an archive, durability and potential density matter, but so do practical issues: what capacity is available now, how quickly data can be written and retrieved, what equipment and energy the workflow requires, and whether the whole system can be maintained. The reviewed company materials describe lab-based reading and ongoing work on speed and integration; they do not provide independent commercial comparisons across those factors. Treat 5D glass as a specialized archival approach, not a drop-in option for active storage.
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